Spirit Awards Nominations

Are you ready for the awards season to begin? Too bad if you're not because it's already here. Yesterday the Golden Satellites announced their nominations while The Gothams honored The Hurt Locker for Best Feature and Best Ensemble. And this morning indieWIRE released the nominations for the 25th Spirit Awards with Precious and The Last Station leading with 5 nominations each.

Notes: The Hurt Locker is not eligible this year, because it was nominated last year. The award for Best First Feature goes to both the producer and the director. The Robert Altman Award, this year given to A Serious Man, honors the director, the casting director, and the ensemble cast.

The rest of the nominees are:

Best Feature
(500) Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious
Sin Nombre
The Last Station

I am glad to see 500 Days and Sin Nombre get nominated and get some love down below as well, but this will probably be Precious' award show to lose, unless they really prefer The Last Station.

Best Director
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Lee Daniels, Precious
Cary Fukanaga, Sin Nombre
James Grey, Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman, The Last Station

Best First Feature
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier With Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

There's A Single Man! I've heard good things about The Messenger and who couldn't ignore the hype for Paranormal Activity? Gawd, so many films to still see.

Best Female Lead
Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
Nisreen Faour, Amreeka
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gwentyth Paltrow, Two Lovers
Gabby Sidibe, Precious

Best Male Lead
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Joseph Gordon Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Souleymane Sy Savane, Goodbye Solo
Adam Scott, The Vicious Kind

I'm a bit disappointed that James McAvoy didn't make it in, but then again who WOULD I kick out from this list? I'm ecstatic to see JGL and SSS (ha!) get some love. Another interesting snub? Michael Stuhlbarg from A Serious Man. Haven't seen the film, but I thought he had buzz.

Best Supporting Female
Dina Korzun, Cold Souls
Mo’Nique, Precious
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Nathalie Press, Fifty Dead Men Walking
Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun

Best Supporting Male
Jemaine Clements, Gentlemen Broncos
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Cristian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Ramon McKinnon, That Evening Sun
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Still not sure I'm going to be seeing the film, but good on Cristian McKay for getting a nod here.

John Cassavetes Award (Low Budget Films)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Year Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge

Best Foreign Film
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid

Best Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer
Adventureland
The Last Station
The Messenger
The Vicious Kind

I wonder which screenplay nods (both here and below for first screenplay) will transfer to Oscar. Precious has the best chance most likely (and it's probably a lock) with 500 Days and The Last Station good possibilities depending how else they do for the rest of award season.

Best First Screenplay
Amreeka
A Single Man
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
Precious

Best Cinematography
A Serious Man
Cold Souls
Bad Lieutenant
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain

Best Documentary
Anvil!
Food Inc
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

Multiple Nominations Tally: 5 - The Last Station, Precious; 4 - The Messenger; 3 - (500) Days Of Summer, Amreeka, Cold Souls, Crazy Heart, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sin Nombre; 2 - That Evening Sun, Treeless Mountain, Two Lovers, The Vicious Kind